Social Work (BSW)

In thousands of ways, social workers help people from every background, across the nation and around the world. Social work is not just a job or even a profession. Rather, it is a passion to make things better at all levels of intervention. The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Program at the University of Utah Asia Campus strives to prepare students to be aware of and respond to shared human problems in an increasingly global society. BSW education and training highlights the unique strengths that the social work perspective provides to address global challenges such as poverty, unemployment, homelessness, child welfare, HIV/AIDS, human trafficking, disabilities, family violence, juvenile and adult crime, war refugees, and political conflicts.

The first two years of an education in social work will be spent on the University of Utah Asia Campus. Students will then enjoy one year on the University of Utah USA Campus. Finally, students will complete a supervised internship, either in Korea, the USA, or in another international location. The University of Utah BSW students graduate with a wide range of knowledge and skills based upon current research and the values of the social work profession. Today, BSW graduates play key roles in actions around social justice, policy development, and community interventions.

Department of Social Work Ranking

The College of Social Work is ranked in top 20% of Schools of Social Work by U.S. News & World Report. (Rank #52) and by College Factual (#10).

Ranked in the top 20% of U.S. Social Work Programs in research universities

90% of main campus graduates are employed within one year of completing a BSW degree

The bachelor’s degree in Social Work is the only undergraduate professional degree offered at the Songdo Global Campus

Opportunities

Social workers draw on an eclectic knowledge base from the liberal arts: sociology, biology, political science, economics, statistics, and diversity. They must integrate social work knowledge, skills, and values into practice, incorporating information about systems theory, human behavior in the social environment, social welfare policy and services, social work practice, social work research, human diversity, promotion of social and economic justice, at-risk and oppressed populations, and an understanding of oppression and discrimination. Social workers operate within a context of professional social work values – as outlined in the Code of Ethics of the Korean Association of Social Workers or the USA’s National Association of Social Workers – while maintaining an awareness of their own personal values.

Social workers are employed in government, family service agencies, child welfare organizations, hospitals, substance abuse programs, aging services, criminal justice agencies, and schools, among other settings. Clients may be individuals, families, groups, organizations, or whole communities.